Youth & Family

NENAS Youth Program

Funded by Ministry of Family Development (MCFD) and Right to PLAY (RTP) Program.

Provides one on one support as well as group programming. NENAS Youth Health & Wellness for youth 14-18 Tuesdays from 4-6 pm. NENAS Youth (ages 11-18 years) meet 4-8 pm every Thursday year round (with additional special events, youth-led conferences and trips). Spring break and summer programming provided for youth. A youth program that builds on the strengths and interests of the youth, promoting youth-voice, endorsing healthy lifestyles, cultural activities, diabetes awareness, youth engagement and advocacy.

Youth Program Descriptions:

RTP Youth Leadership – (Right to PLAY)

The Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth (PLAY) program partners with more than 85 First Nations communities and urban Aboriginal organizations across Canada to deliver safe, fun and educations programming for Aboriginal children and youth. Each uniquely tailored play-based program is designed to enhance educations outcomes, improve peer-to-peer relationships, increase employ-ability and improve physical and mental health amongst Aboriginal children and youth. Youth aged 12 years of age or older. The overall targeted areas of this program are for youth to develop a stronger sense of community, confidence in leadership and support among peers. With the use of team building games and activities, practical skill building opportunities through youth-led events, youth are brought closer to achieve these goals. The p-rimary goal of the Youth Leadership Program is to health youth recognize their ability to be positive agents of change in the community. To become positive agents of change it is necessary for youth to see themselves as leaders; which is accomplished by placing them in the driver’s seat of their own program design and delivery.

The Cuystwi (cwoo wheesh twee) program evolved from conversations with First Nations in northern British Columbia about their concerns regarding youth suicide. It was suggested that if youth could have a platform to explore their identities and cultures as Indigenous peoples, as well as understand colonization and how the on-going cumulative impacts affect our people and families, that they may have a stronger foundation to depend on when encountering difficult periods in their lives. The Cuystwi quests emphasize themes of identity, culture, understanding colonization, tools to deal with racism, healthy relationships, sexual health and an invitation to become a young warrior. The quests have an on-line component meant to introduce topics to be facilitated to Indigenous youth by youth workers, health workers and educators within existing community programming.

NENAS Family Program

Funded by MCFD provides one on one support as well as group programming that meet Wednesday 5-8 pm (during the school year). Family programming provides several parenting programs including; Aboriginal Parenting in today’s World, Tween and Me, Strengthening Families and ongoing workshops on health & wellness, suicide prevention, traditional crafts and knowledge sharing. Programs present traditional values and cultural practices to help parents, grandparents and other family caregivers to raise healthy children in today’s urban Canadian context. We believe that healthy children with involved parents lead to healthy communities.

Family Program Descriptions

Aboriginal Parenting in Today’s World

The program is designed upon traditional values but relies on the input and expertise of individual knowledge keepers who will add their knowledge and cultural ways for the benefit of parents in their own communities. The Bringing Tradition Home (BTH) parenting program consists of eight 3-hour gathering and a final celebration gathering. each gathering is based on a traditional value and its importance in our families and community. Some of the topics include: keeping alive our connections to our culture; our responsibilities to our children; healthy child development; parenting styles; traditional childhood rituals and storytelling; the impact of colonization on parenting; and resiliency. The values for the eight gatherings are: Respect, Belonging, Love, Honoring, Humility, Courage, Wisdom and Generosity. The aim of BTH is to present traditional values and cultural practices to help parents, grandparents and other family caregivers to raise healthy children in today’s urban Canadian context. We believe that healthy children with involved parents lead to healthy communities. While there are many differences among Nations, tehere are some universal values, beliefs and practices that the program builds upon, such a storytelling, the spiritual connection to child-rearing and the involvement on the extended family.

Tween and Me – Building self-esteem in pre-teens, strengthening confidence in parents.

Children aged 7-12 face big challenges today. Sure, they’re out of the demanding early child development years, but they’re right in the middle of that phase where high risk behaviors and bullying often begin or become negative influences. Luckily, research shows that this is also the age where parents are still the most powerful influences in their pre-teen’s life.

Strengthening Families

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a nationally and internationally recognized parenting and family strengthening program for high-risk and general population families. SFP is an evidence-based family skills training program found to significantly improve parenting skills and family relationships, reduce problem behaviors, delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse in children and to improve social competencies and school performance. Child maltreatment also decreases as parents strengthen bonds with their children and learn more effective parenting skills.

The original 14-session evidence-based SFP for high-risk families with children ages 6 to 11 years (SFP6-11) was developed and tested in the mid 1980s by Dr. Karol L. Kumpfer on a NIDA research grant with children of substance-abusing parents. Subsequent randomized control trials (RCTs) have found similar positive results with families in many different ethnic groups. Both culturally adapted versions and the core version of SFP have been found effective with African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and First Nations families. SFP is in 36 countries.